(Reuters) -The Canadian province of Quebec has confirmed 15 cases of monkeypox as of Monday, the provincial health department said on Tuesday.
Nearly 20 countries where monkeypox is not endemic have reported recent outbreaks of the viral disease, with more than 230 confirmed or suspected infections mostly in Europe.
Canada confirmed its first two cases of monkeypox virus infections in the country last week after authorities in Quebec said they were investigating 17 suspected cases.
Monkeypox, which mostly occurs in west and central Africa, is a rare viral infection similar to human smallpox, though milder. It was first recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1970s. The number of cases in West Africa has increased in the last decade.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil in OttawaEditing by Chris Reese and Bill Berkrot)
